Xu Qingxuan was considered one of the top geniuses within the Moon God Sect — an elite among the true disciples, and arguably a front-running candidate for the next Sect Master.
However, even so, when compared to the momentum Jiang Chen currently commanded, these accomplishments paled in comparison.
Of course, Xu Qingxuan wasn't truly trying to measure herself against Jiang Chen. It was merely a young woman's playful stubbornness that led her to take delight in bickering with her brother Jiang Chen.
The process of greeting his mother, while requiring some persuasion, had ultimately gone much more smoothly than Jiang Chen had anticipated.
That very day, Jiang Chen met privately with the Grand Master and presented her with the gifts listed on the betrothal inventory.
The Grand Master now found Jiang Chen agreeable no matter how she looked at him. Receiving this betrothal gift honestly made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
After all, Jiang Feng and Xu Meng had been husband and wife to begin with. The Moon God Sect had forcibly torn the couple apart, and now they were accepting betrothal gifts from them.
Still, as the Grand Master of an entire sect, she understood that Jiang Chen's gift list was a betrothal gift in name, but in reality, it was an olive branch extended to the Moon God Sect.
Across the entire human territories, the great powers had essentially coalesced into two opposing forces.
One was the northern faction, represented by Pill Fire City.
The other was naturally the faction represented by Radiant King City.
By all logic, the Moon God Sect sat right next to Pill Fire City, and both strategically and emotionally, siding with Pill Fire City would have been the safer choice. Yet faced with such generous gifts from Radiant King City, the Moon God Sect simply could not remain indifferent.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, this gift list — our Moon God Sect truly does not feel worthy of receiving it. I imagine Young Master Jiang Chen must have a deeper meaning behind delivering this list?" the Grand Master asked tentatively.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly and did not rush to reply. After a moment, he asked calmly, "Grand Master, the Eight Upper Domains contain eight First Rank Sects. Have you ever studied the power dynamics among these eight sects?"
The Grand Master was slightly taken aback. Power dynamics?
The power dynamics of the Eight Upper Domains had barely changed in nearly a thousand years. There didn't seem anything particularly noteworthy about them.
For the moment, she couldn't grasp what Jiang Chen was getting at. After a moment of deliberation, she said, "The dynamics among the First Rank Sects have been stable for a thousand years. I wonder what insights Young Master Jiang Chen might have?"
Jiang Chen casually sketched a few lines on the wall, outlining a rough map of the Eight Upper Domains and the territories controlled by each major power.
"Please look, Grand Master." Jiang Chen pointed at the map. "The Heavenly Dragon Sect is here, the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect is here, and the Heavenly Sword Sect is here."
"Mm." The Grand Master nodded, but she still didn't know what Jiang Chen was getting at.
"Grand Master, these three sects should be the most powerful of the eight First Rank Sects in terms of martial strength, correct?"
The Grand Master thought for a moment and had no choice but to nod in agreement. "In terms of martial heritage, these three sects are indeed at the forefront among the eight First Rank Sects. But what exactly is Young Master Jiang Chen trying to say?"
"Of these three First Rank Sects, the Heavenly Dragon Sect is located in the central-western region of the Eight Upper Domains and is also the most independently minded of all eight. The Nine Sun Heavenly Sect sits right in the center of the central region. And the Xiayu Heavenly Sword Sect is relatively close to our Radiant King City."
All of this was clearly visible on the map. The Grand Master naturally knew these facts and didn't need Jiang Chen to point them out. Yet she still couldn't figure out what the young master was trying to convey.
"Now look to the north. The Moon God Sect sits in the far northwestern region, with Pill Fire City clamping down on your throat. As long as Pill Fire City keeps its grip on that chokepoint, if they don't want your Moon God Sect to grow strong, you won't necessarily be able to — but if they want to keep you weak, they can do so with ease. The Moon God Sect has been constrained by others, which is why, all these years, it has remained the weakest and most low-profile of the eight First Rank Sects. I hope saying this doesn't anger you, Grand Master?"
The Grand Master laughed at herself. "Young Master Jiang Chen, so young in years, yet you've mapped out the dynamics of the Eight Upper Domains remarkably well."
"This is all plain to see. But if we dig a little deeper, you'll find that around Pill Fire City — whether it's the Moon God Sect to the northwest or the Heavenly River Palace to the northeast — both are among the weaker of the eight First Rank Sects."
"A little further south of Pill Fire City lies the territory controlled by the Heavenly Sound Temple, whose strength among the eight First Rank Sects also skews toward the weaker end."
"There's an old saying: how can one tolerate another snoring beside one's own bed? Pill Fire City's strategy is the most vivid embodiment of this old adage."
Hearing this, the Grand Master's expression finally shifted slightly, and she understood what Jiang Chen was trying to convey.
She had actually pondered this question before, but never as deeply as Jiang Chen. Analyzing it through this map, it truly was exactly as he described.
The First Rank Sects surrounding Pill Fire City were almost all on the weaker side.
The Grand Master wasn't entirely clear about the other powers. But the Moon God Sect was indeed constrained by Pill Fire City. Though the Moon God Sect had been desperately trying to shake off Pill Fire City's influence—
—Pill Fire City's influence had already seeped in through many subtle channels.
As a First Rank Sect, the Moon God Sect naturally refused to become a puppet of Pill Fire City. They had been using every means at their disposal to avoid letting Pill Fire City seize control of their lifeline.
Yet over the years, Pill Fire City had continued to expand its influence step by step. The Moon God Sect of today, while it couldn't be called a vassal of Pill Fire City, had become deeply entangled with Pill Fire City in terms of many cultivators and many interests.